Me & My Shadow
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 246-252: It's chaos at McKinley, for one day with the faculty and an assignment...
1. Chapter 1: & Our Disarray

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th cycle. Now cycle 12!_

_This is another 7-chapter story! :D **Chapter 1 of 7**_

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**"Me & My Shadow & Our Disarray"  
Faculty**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, but it had not grown in appreciation with anyone. All along it had merely been a mild nuisance though. Eventually it came to an end and everything went back to normal. So as unpleasant as most of them found it, they just ran with it and – mostly – kept quiet.

The whispers had grown filled with gossip in the teachers' lounge, rivalling their student body even. Soon it turned to fury and panic as they realized two of their least favorite events would come to pass within the same period of time. The word 'cataclysmic' had been thrown about a few times.

The first event, the nuisance, was Mr. Nussbaum's "Shadow" assignment. A number of students, on rotation, from his various classes, would be paired with one faculty member they were to shadow for a week. It was generally preferred by the students, who would get to skip out on classes.

The second event was a less common one but hardly to be written off and, if they were lucky, it would be routine and not requested externally: Faculty review. In this case, it was routine, it just so happened that it was terribly, terribly scheduled. Principal Figgins had been getting regular visits from one teacher or another, asking 'kindly' that he do something about this. He couldn't, or at least wouldn't run the risk of coming off as though there was something to hide. So the schedule remained.

So the day came, nestled right in the middle of shadow week. They hadn't known the exact date, wouldn't until the day itself, a fact Figgins had had difficulty getting his staff to believe. And when the day did come, no one noticed at first, too busy with dealing with their shadows to notice the small white-haired woman making her initial walk through the facilities.

She came by the gym, peering in. The Cheerios were on one side, the basketball team on the other. The woman was quickly drawn to the bullhorn cries of the cheerleading coach, but also those – echoing all on their own – of the female contingent of the cheerleaders, who gave no mind to the booming-voiced coach and instead bickered and shoved at one another.

On the other end, the situation was different but by no means and less strange. The coach, for a reason she honestly did not understand, was dressed kind of… properly, she supposed, but didn't seem too comfortable, and he would try to ever-so-carefully adjust, leaving the team to continue their drills on their own. The woman carried on her way down the halls.

She was nearly bowled over by a redhead skittering along – the guidance counsellor, yes. Her wide eyes were threatening to burst, and her delicate hands were kept close to her body almost for fear that they should ever touch anything and/or anyone. She went along, never noticing the white-haired woman as she went by, but then neither did the next woman who also came very close to too close. This was the recent hire, the badminton coach and astronomy teacher, Brenda Castle. She'd read her file and noted immediate concerns. Now seeing her in person, she saw those had not been premature. She appeared oddly distressed and as though she'd lost something.

As she carried along, the woman encountered the Spanish teacher-turned-Glee Club director, pacing down the hall with conflict in his eyes so over-powering that it created tunnel vision. By the time the inspector had reached the principal's office, she'd seen her share of oddities, and then she'd opened the door, finding the man, staring into a mirror at the outfit and hat he seemed to have just put on. He froze.

"What is going on?" the woman asked.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2: & Our Distractions

_Chapter 2!_

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**"Me & My Shadow & Our Distractions"  
Sue & Puck**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, and Sue had fought it every time. But each time it was the same and she would end up stuck with some kid riding her coat tails for a week. She wasn't going to have that… not this year. She already had plenty to deal with, she wasn't going to let this get in her way again. So she marched down to Figgins' office, time and again, denied each time. When Monday morning rolled around, she decided it was time to play the last card she had left.

"Good morning," she had a confident stride as she entered the principal's office, not bothering to pay much attention to whatever he was doing. She walked around his desk and sat up against the edge. "Now I can be just as reasonable as the next; I don't want to always have to use this threat. I mean, I understand, and I do believe there is a time and place for everything, but now…" she looked back to him. "Let's talk about this assignment, and leave your wife out of it as much as we can," she smiled with confident 'kindness.' Figgins looked to her with a firm gaze before addressing her.

"Sue, in anticipation for your visit, I asked your shadow to come in so that you two might get started," he nodded across the desk. She breathed out, not wanting to have to turn and see who'd be there. Finally though, she did.

"Morning," Puck gave a small nod. Sue's head snapped back to Figgins. He braced himself.

"I haven't had my shake just yet, I might not be quite screwed on just right yet," she motioned to her head. "Because it seems you're trying to tie me up with this delinquent."

"Hey!" Puck protested.

"Shut it, Puckerman, I know where your mother works," she spat at him, leaving him dumbfounded. Figgins stepped in.

"Now, Sue, it's one week. A fine educator like you, I'm sure you can teach the boy a thing or two," he appealed to her.

"Oh, don't try and flatter me, I see you coming," she shook her head, getting up and heading for the door. "Puckerman!" she shouted. Puck sighed and got up to follow her. They had just turned the corner when she turned on her heel and got up in his face. "Listen here, big guy, I have one rule," she held up a finger, paused, then held a second. "Two rules: One, don't get in my way. Two… Don't mess with my Cheerios. You already cost me my captain."

When they got to the gym though, Puck wasn't so much of a problem at first… It was the Cheerios themselves. They started whispering amongst themselves, stopping when Sue hoisted up her bullhorn. Before she spoke, she pointed back to Puck.

"Don't talk, touch, or even look at him. Now, warm up!" The girls quietly grumbled as the squad started warm ups, while Puck smirked to himself at seeing the reaction he'd gotten. He pulled it back when Sue turned to him. "That goes for you too."

"I don't think that's what I'm supposed to be…" She squeezed the bullhorn, and with another huff, he joined warm-ups. Sue nodded to herself; that should keep him out of her hair for a while.

He was a jock though, and mildly used to this. He'd quickly bounced back, in time for the more defiant and daring of the Cheerios to start and break the coach's recently installed rule. It became more and more of an excitement for them to find a way to get around it, in practice and beyond, with Puck being stuck to their coach's side, as her shadow. But then the risk was half the fun.

By day two, the girls' "covert" adventures had started trickling out amongst them… as had their mild physical successes with shadow boy. Learning of the multiple plays had about the expected effect on them. The brewing trouble wouldn't reach either Sue or Puck just yet.

Sue had been temporarily lulled into a false sense of security, finding her shadow to be not all that much of a bother. He sat back, let her work… Maybe he was just a bored slacker, but at least he wasn't in her way so much.

The morning of day three, the veil had been lifted, just as the gloves had come off of the Cheerios. She had been trying to get them quiet for a while, without success. This was already something she did not often have to deal with.

"Brittany! Front and center!" she finally called, deciding that was the best way to get an answer out of any of them. The blonde broke out of the pack, stumbling briefly before coming to stand in front of Sue.

"Yes, Coach?" she blinked. Sue became immediately aware of something, advancing on the Cheerio, observing her closely… Her eyes grew wide.

"Are you drunk?" Brittany startled at the barks, cringed.

"No…" she finally managed, clearly as though to say 'well not anymore.' Sue pointed to the bleachers and Brittany bowed her head and went to sit. In the time Sue had been focused on the hungover girl, the others had stopped being so on attention and more on pushing and shoving and name calling. Sue had turned back to them once she'd watched the blonde head off, flipping the bullhorn back on, missing the passage of the white-haired inspector behind her. When she did look back, it was toward the source of her problems, who was currently pointing out the tussle to his friends on the basketball team on the other side of the gym. She turned him around, all but grabbing him at the ear.

"Did I not make myself clear?" she barked. He shrugged. "Get out of here before I lose any more of my Cheerios." Again, he shrugged, marching to join the basketball team. She sneered and grasped her bullhorn to the point of white knuckles as she returned to detangle her Cheerios.

She really despised shadow week.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3: & Our Do Overs

_On to chapter 3!_

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**"Me & My Shadow & Our Do-Overs"  
Ken & Kurt**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, but in his years coaching there Ken had learned to just run with it. Some years had been a complete disaster, others were just… not a disaster, but not anything to sing about.

The fact was, at this point, he felt he wasn't sure what he had to offer whoever would end up paired with him for this week. He could barely look at himself in the mirror anymore… He'd let himself go, since his break up with Emma, he knew this. He could well assume it for a while. But the worse things got, the more he couldn't help but question himself… Maybe his shadow would think the same of him.

He was in the gym, figuring it would be easy for him to be found that way. So he worked at checking the equipment, waiting for… whoever it was to show up. Then… "Coach?" Ken looked up expectantly, then relaxed when he saw it was his former kicker.

"What do you want, Hummel?" Ken asked, getting back to his equipment until… He stopped and looked back to Kurt who gave a 'yep' smile and head bow.

"And so our paths cross again," he tried to make light of things. Ken approached him.

"Right, okay, well…" he started. "I'm just organizing things right now," he nodded. "You want to help?" Kurt considered this. After a moment, he took off his jacket and laid it over a nearby chair before looking to the coach. "Right, come on."

The two of them worked at it for about an hour, through which Ken informed his former player on many of the ins and outs of being a high school coach. Kurt listened diligently, though in his mind there were questions he was debating whether to ask or not. As they were finishing up though, he looked to the man. He was tired, and the sweat accentuated all the things that had gone wrong with him since his break up.

"Coach, if I may?" he finally went for it. "Are you alright? I know things haven't been…" he stopped when the coach looked back to him.

"No, things haven't been…" he repeated, and Kurt wasn't sure if he'd yell at him for bringing it up, or talk to him about it, or worse… cry about it… "You don't want to hear about all this," he shook his head in small defeat.

"I asked, didn't I?" Kurt pointed out after a brief silence. Ken looked back up, nodded in appreciation.

So once again Ken talked, and Kurt listened, this time in a field much closer to his comfort zone. What he heard was the tale of a man who had fallen not only in most people's respect, but in his own as well. And the further he went, the more Kurt became positive that his time would be put to much better use helping the coach get back on his feet than learning about what he did.

"You don't have to stay like this," Kurt spoke up. His face lit up and he smirked. "I can help you. A good makeover can change everything," he nodded. Ken frowned, uncertain. He considered the boy standing in front of him, so very impeccable… a little too much…

"You're not going to…" he gestured awkwardly. Kurt's eyebrow raised.

"No, that's not how it works," he promised. "I'm just going to get rid of the less… desirable…" he pointed with hesitating fingers. "First, there's the shorts," he made a face and Ken looked down to said shorts.

Kurt had managed to talk the coach into a lunch time field trip to the mall. He made quick work of locating some choice pieces and argued for each of them, getting Ken to agree on at least some of them. They returned to McKinley, at which time Ken had agreed he would come to school the next morning clean, changed, and sweatless.

When he arrived, his clothes and general appearance managed to turn a few heads, which already gave him something to smile about. Once he met up to his shadow however, he discovered he had yet more things to be taught by this student.

"It's not just the outfit that makes the man, it's how he carries it. And right now you're carrying it like it belongs to someone else and you're just looking out for it, the way you look out for a purse…" Ken nodded slowly, trying to understand what this would entail… and imagine how many references would be made to 'My Fair Lady.'

The day went on with equal parts Ken doing his job, and Kurt shadowing him and getting him to 'carry' the outfit. The process as a whole was frustrating for both parties, where one was very demanding and the other was slow to learn and assimilate. He would promise to pick it up eventually. The next morning would prove whether this was true or not.

Kurt would have to attend Cheerios practice, which Coach Sylvester had insisted on, shadow or not, but he would at least still be in the same room. He was just in the middle of warm ups when something brought him to a stop. "Oh… how on…" he mumbled.

Ken came in with a shaky kind of a stride. The way he tried to hold himself, he could have been a puppet on strings… and his puppeteer was drunk.

When the Cheerios went mad and Coach Sylvester was too busy trying to restrain them to notice whether he was there or not, he jogged across the gym. He vaguely noticed the woman with the clipboard but paid no attention to her.

"Coach," he stopped next to Ken. He wasn't even looking back.

"It's not working, is it?" he looked and Kurt shook his head. "I know you tried, it's just… not me." He paused. "I guess I need to find that for myself." Kurt smiled. "Better get back there before…"

"Hummel!" the bullhorner called.

"Later, Coach," Kurt briefly waved before dashing off. Ken watched him go, thinking this may be one year he liked the shadow assignment.

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4: & Our Disorders

_Chapter 4, midway point!_

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**"Me & My Shadow & Our Disorders"  
Emma & Suzy Pepper**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, but Emma didn't mind it. If anything, she looked forward to it. She liked the idea of letting students see what she did, what everyone did. Sure, some of them may not be the best of role models, but there were still some of them who had something good to present… some of them who weren't all up in arms about this review. She had nothing to worry about on that side.

On Monday morning, she was on her way to her office, figuring her shadow would come to meet her there. On the way there though, she had to pass the Glee room. When she did, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and gave a quick look. Her feet stopped and she sighed. There was a day where she wouldn't even have hesitated; she would have just gone right in… even just to say hello. Now there was something in her stomach that told her 'don't.' But she still wanted to, she…

She heard the sound of a crash, loud, followed by Will's voice. "Damn…" she heard him say. On reflex, she stepped back and entered the room. The sound appeared to have been the jazz ensemble's instruments, toppling over. Will was working to pick them back up.

"What happened?" she asked. He looked back and breathed out.

"I, uh, I knocked them over," he explained sheepishly. She moved forward and started picking up the fallen instruments with him. "Thanks," he spoke after a moment, looking at her. She looked back.

"Oh, sure," she assured with a smirk. They just couldn't escape these moments, apparently… And then there was a sound from behind them, someone clearing their throat. They both looked back at the same time, froze at the same time, seeing Suzy Pepper at the door.

"Morning," she greeted them. Will and Emma looked to one another… They both had the same thought, neither of them believing it could be that they'd pair her with him, after what had happened.

"Suzy, what are you… I mean, you're not with me, are you?" Will asked, careful with his words.

"Oh, no," she shook her head, and he breathed, just as Suzy's gaze shifted to the guidance counselor at his side. Emma looked surprised… and a little freaked out at the thought of being paired with the girl. She'd been given a rundown of the whole situation with her and Will… She wasn't sure what would happen. Was she over that whole thing? Would she relapse by being with Emma for a week, if she knew about the history with her and Will?

"Well, I…" Emma started, looked to Will. "Are you okay here?" He nodded. "Okay… Let's head back to my office, yes?" she moved to guide Suzy over there. Once they arrived, Emma quickly got her hands a shot of sanitizer before turning back to her shadow. "I'm surprised you haven't done this already."

"Well, let's just say there were extenuating circumstances," the girl gave a slow nod, which Emma mirrored awkwardly.

"Right, of… course… Well that's alright, I… I'm sure you'll find the experience rewarding. I know I do."

"Well I just sit here, don't I?" Suzy shrugged, and Emma was silenced for a moment before going into a nod.

"That's part of it, yes, but there's more to it than that," she tried to sound inviting, found it came off odd and sat back in her chair. "Right, okay," she mumbled and cleared her throat, looking back to Suzy. "I have some appointments this morning, but after that…" she gestured as Suzy moved to sit on the chair Emma had put on the side of the desk for her.

Emma had her morning appointments, where Suzy followed the conversations like an avid tennis fan. The students had some trouble ignoring her presence, and the intense gaze. As the last of the morning appointments had ended, Emma was just putting away the files when she looked back and saw Will walk by in the hall. He looked back, held up his hand in a passing greeting. Emma did the same, nervously. Once he'd gone, she remembered her shadow and turned back to find Suzy staring out in the hall still, with her hands folded in her lap the way they'd been all morning. The two shared a look as Emma went back to sit.

"I'm guessing you know about all that," Suzy started. Emma nodded, not pretending otherwise. "I-I'm over it, I swear," she came back to sit across from Emma. "You're not though." Before Emma could reply, she continued. "Did you really call him a slut?' she whispered. "Why did you call him a slut?"

"I-I don't think that this is an appropriate topic at this time… you shouldn't be…" she shook her head.

"Who else would you be able to talk to in this school who would understand this whole Will Schuester infatuation? Besides Rachel Berry…" Suzy pointed out. Emma looked at her, feeling as much as she wouldn't say it, Suzy was kind of right.

"Let's… let's go for lunch," Emma grabbed her things. The subject was dropped for the rest of the day. Suzy remained, observing Emma's work.

When she'd arrived home though, Emma had these ideas still in her head. Putting away her jewelry as she changed for bed, she saw the card Will had given her, still on her desk. She had taken steps to work on these problems… It was not something she liked to do, it was… embarrassing…. But she did it for him, for the chance that they could be together… And then she'd found out about his adventures with Boozy and the Enemy…

But she was fighting for him, still fighting, and after thinking about Suzy's words, she'd decided… maybe it was time she kicked up her efforts a notch… small notch, a nick really…

So the next day, she had arrived at McKinley, less forceful on her usual tendencies. It was hard not to fall back on the old ways, and sometimes she did 'cheat'… improvement was the goal here, not perfection. Suzy continued to do her quietly intense job of freaking out the students who would visit her.

The further the day went, the more she became… It was almost a mix of pride and terror, but she carried on. Even as she arrived home, she continued as she'd done all day. The idea was to just keep on powering through.

It was on the morning of day three that her resolve began to crack. She was discovering the results of her behavior the previous day, and the results were just too much for her to deal with, so much that she barely noticed as Suzy came in.

"Morning, Miss…" Emma jumped and yelped. "… Pillsbury." The redhead straightened up.

"Morning, Suzy," she breathed.

"Are you okay?" Suzy asked as Emma got up and circled her desk to head out into the hall. Suzy had just taken her seat, but she got back up when Emma passed her.

"Oh no, no, no, you don't need to shadow me for this, you just stay here, okay? Okay," Emma spoke quickly before heading out.

She tried to make it to the bathroom as fast as she could, keeping her arms as close to herself as she could. She bumped into a few people as she went, but she just mumbled an apology and went on her way.

In the bathroom, she gave her hands a good scrub, but stopped to look in the mirror. She breathed out, seeing her reflection.

She was trying, really trying… If Suzy could make a change, so could she…

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Chapter 5: & Our Discoveries

_Chapter 5! And, AND! It's day 250! *dances*_

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**"Me & My Shadow & Our Discoveries"  
Brenda Castle & Brittany**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, but as it was her first year at this school it was Brenda Castle's first time. She didn't particularly mind it. She figured she'd just ride it out, let whoever they assigned her just sit by… fetch her racket and birdies…

So Monday morning she arrived, on her way to her classroom. She had class that morning, astronomy and not badminton, so her shadow would have to find her there. As she turned the corner, she fell in step with the one who'd come to be – for all intents and purposes – her arch nemesis in this place, Sue Sylvester.

"Morning, Sue," she spoke, not even looking at her. The blonde did the same.

"Morning, Castle. Well I can't imagine which poor sap will be forced to follow you all week," Sue threw back as each of them went on their way.

Once in her classroom, she sat to finish grading the homework she'd left unattended after the evening had run away from her on the heels of emptied shot glasses. It was a good thing it was just basic homework.

After a while, she started to notice a pattern out in the hall. A cheerleader, walking back and forth by her door… Always the same one, first one way… then the other… When she'd seen her make about ten passes, Brenda sighed and shook her head, putting her pen down and moving out to the hall. The blonde turned once more, coming her way, unaware. "Lost?"

"Yeah," she stopped. "I'm looking for Miss Castle, for my assignment," she explained.

"Well, you found her," she lifted her head. "Brenda Castle," she offered her hand, smirking. The girl blinked, put her hand in the offered one.

"Brittany…" she began to introduce herself, soon cut off as the teacher pulled her into the classroom.

"Okay, you just sit right here," she lead her to sit by her desk. "I just need to finish off this work, it's just…" she made a face as though to say 'gross,' laughing along. Brittany just looked at her. "Okay…" Brenda looked back to her papers, awkward.

Her mind had worked quick, the moment she'd figured this was her shadow. She'd been wanting to stick it to good old Sue Sylvester… What better way than to spring some information off of her cheerleaders? She must have known something she could use to hit back at Lady Track Suit.

As the morning had gone by, one thing had quickly become clear to her, much to her dismay… This girl was not too reliable of a source, not by a long shot. She just sat there, staring about. When she'd ask her a question, she'd get some half or misdirected answer… This girl seemed like there was so much empty space in her head that any question that entered it would just bounce left and right, and it would land on the wrong field to answer the question.

The more the day went on though, the more she became determined to see this idea through. The more she wanted it though, the more frustrated she became with her shadow, who gave her nothing. This bit of no results lasted all through Monday and Tuesday. Badminton practice saw her shadow chasing birdies all through the period. Brenda was too annoyed to deal with her anymore at this point, so this was easier.

When the period was done, Brenda saw her students off before sitting with a sigh, reaching in the gym office for her bag and pulling out a bottle. She drank as she watched Brittany try to untangle a birdie stuck in one of the nets. Brenda just shook her head and took another drink before moving to put the bottle back so she wouldn't see… She probably had nothing to worry about, seeing how much time Brittany spent on the net. When she returned to the teacher with the bucket of birdies, Brenda watched her quietly. She didn't have that much of a buzz going yet, though if she played her cards right, that would change.

"Of all the cheerleaders, I had to get the stereotype…" Brenda spoke, words distorted by her chin in her hand. She chuckled to herself, deciding she could well do as she wished in front of the girl, and there would be no difference at all. So as the blonde sat at her side, she took up her bottle again. "And she wins again… You know, I'm not even sure why…" She stopped as an idea popped into her head. She looked to the bottle, letting the idea stew a while. It was a crazy one, but she was just about there at this point. She extended her arm as though to test the waters, holding the bottle out to the girl. "You want some?" If she was lucky – and at this point she felt she'd earned some – this just might get the square block into the square hole and not the circle. When she accepted the bottle, Brenda felt hopeful as she had the previous morning.

She got up to go start taking down the nets… the sooner that was done, the sooner she could go home, get away from Sue…

She looked back up – Sue was coming. Brenda stepped aside, looking to the girl with her bottle. "Get in there!" she ordered through gritted teeth, indicating the office. Brittany frowned, then shrugged and did as told.

"Hey Castle, make sure your bug nets are gone before you leave. My Cheerios can't be tripping up into your camping gear tomorrow morning." Brenda gave a silent nod, not wanting to betray her secret. This surprised Sue for a moment, but she shrugged it off. Brenda got back to her nets, hoping to come off as 'at ease.' But then she heard… "I just need to get my spare jacket. Stains, you know. Good thing I always come prepared." By the time Brenda and her not-quite-buzzed brain realized this meant she was going into the office, she was already in there. She braced for a shout, but there came none. Sue left with her jacket, not bothering for goodbyes.

Brenda hurried into the office, and found there had been no shout because there'd been nothing to find. Brittany wasn't there… but the bottle was… and it was empty.

"She's on the loose…" she breathed to herself, seeing the other door was wide open. She hurried to follow. It was one thing to share a little bit, but if they got hold of the teenager, and her condition was traced back to her…

She searched the whole school, but did not find her. Now her panic grew out… She could be anywhere now…

She'd go home. Yes, she'd go home, and she'd figure out how to get herself out of this mess… The girl wasn't the brightest bulb; Brenda could easily deny involvement if she ever did talk.

Still her evening was agony, and she couldn't go to sleep. By two in the morning she had half a mind to go look for her… But then sleep finally took her, as the next thing she knew, she was waking up in her car, dressed, with the steering wheel printed on her face. Already dressed, she turned the car on and drove to school. She was a little late, but she didn't care.

She tore across the halls, searching, paying no mind to anyone. Her first thought took her past the gym, back and forth two or three times… and finally she stopped and looked in.

There, sitting in the bleachers, was her little hungover shadow. She breathed out and kept on walking. Maybe she didn't remember… yes… She'd find out later. One other thing was settled though… No more spying.

TO BE CONTINUED


	6. Chapter 6: & Our Dilemmas

_Chapter 6! Almost done!_

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**"Me & My Shadow & Our Dilemmas"  
Will & Jacob**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, and Will recalled his own experience in this assignment. He had been paired with Mr. Finchley, their former principal, which had turned out to be a beneficial experience as well as informative.

Since he'd come to be a teacher at McKinley, he'd always done his very best to give his shadows as good of a week as he'd gotten. He knew shadowing the Spanish teacher was not the most practical thing, depending on whether or not they studied it themselves, but this year was different… This year he also had Glee Club to show off. For all he knew, maybe he'd get a new member out of this. He knew they were riding right on the edge of eligibility with exactly twelve members, getting more would be good…

Before heading into Spanish class then he wanted to make sure everything was set in the Glee room as well. They tended to keep things pretty together, but it was like receiving friends over for the very first time… The house had to be spotless.

In his hurry to get things done though, his foot caught at the drum set and in pulling himself free, it all came toppling down. Drums, guitars… He jumped and recoiled, then huffed. "Damn…" he muttered as he bent over to pick up one of the guitars and checked to see if it was broken at all. He could barely keep the club from drowning; he couldn't pay to replace instruments.

Then there was a voice. Even as he was turning, he knew it was her… Emma. He told her how he'd knocked them over and, within an instant, she was at his side, picking up the instruments… He swore he didn't deserve her. He'd made so many mistakes with her, but he wanted to make it right, he…

The noise from behind drew both their attentions, but he was sure he was the only one who felt the panic he got. There was no way they would assign Suzy Pepper to shadow him, not after she'd done her own rendition of it two years before… No, she wasn't his. She was Emma's. There was something odd about the two of them being put together, but he pushed it aside.

After they'd gone, he got back to his instruments, wondering if his own shadow would in fact bring along certain awkward qualities… He didn't know why he'd thought it, but moments later, he got the answer. Just as he'd set back the drums, there was a voice, again one he knew. "Mr. Schuester?" he turned back… as he'd thought.

"Jacob," he nodded. "Are you…" Will gestured. The boy confirmed.

"Yes," he spoke as he looked around. "Is it always like this?" he indicated the instruments on the ground. Will sighed.

"No, just a bit of an accident. You want to give me a hand so we can get over to class?" he explained. Jacob agreed, moving to pick things up.

The day went by more or less incident free. Jacob had no aspirations toward Spanish, but he was eerily silent and unnoticeable… Will got slightly creeped out after a while, though he wouldn't say.

That afternoon, Jacob was made to sit in through Glee practice, but there were some nuances between his Spanish class stance and this one, and Will had a vague idea as to why that was.

All through the period, he could see Jacob staring at Rachel. He hadn't seen him this animated all day. Even as they would run through songs, Will could see Jacob just bopping along, moving his lips about, trying to replicate their dance steps.

The next day, Will could see Jacob seemed to have something on his mind, but he wasn't saying a thing. He just continued shadowing him without a word. There was something odd about it, but he let it go. Later in the day though, his face had changed, like he'd gotten his resolve about him. Will had no idea what it was that he was in for… He just had to wait and find out. When he did speak up though…

"I want to join Glee Club, for real this time," he nodded. Will stared at him, confused at the request… He really hadn't expected it. He blinked.

"Right… Well… You need to audition, can you do that?" Jacob agreed. "Tomorrow afternoon, how's that?" Again, he got a yes. "Good… Alright," he spoke slowly.

Once they'd both gone their separate ways, Will was left to ponder the potential of Glee Club, and Jacob in it. He didn't want to just go ahead and make any assumptions, but he was fairly certain that nothing good could or would come out of it.

Every part of him was saying he had to find a way out of this, some way to keep Jacob from joining. But then out in the middle of all this, he just could not ignore the one cardinal rule he'd maintained all this time.

Everyone who wanted to be part of this club could be part of it. If he changed the rules just for him, what would it say? Sure, no one would probably know… But he would. And he hated to think of it staying in there with him.

He debated the whole thing all through the night and into the next morning. And the closer he got to Jacob's audition, the more he wished he had someone to talk to about this. He could probably have gone to Emma with something like this, tied to Glee Club, but… He didn't want to bother her every time he had a problem… If he kept going to her while they were still dealing with their personal problems…

The day went by, and Will was so focused on this, he could barely be aware of anything else. But finally, as it was about time, Jacob had looked to him and said the words that just saved him from having to decide.

"I changed my mind, I… I don't want to do it anymore. I'm sorry," he shrugged. "I think I was doing it for the same reasons as before but… You all just seem to have fun. I'm not like you," he concluded. As relieved as Will was, part of him still wished he could have done something that pleased them all.

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. Chapter 7: & Devotion

_Seventh and final chapter, sorry it's so late today!_

* * *

**"Me & My Shadow & Our Devotion"  
Figgins & Rachel**

This was by no means the first time this had come to happen at McKinley, and as much of a front as he was able to put with his staff, Principal Figgins was the first in line in despising the timing of both the assignment and the review. Behind closed doors, he was a nervous wreck. He knew exactly the kind of problems existed in his school, as created by the oddball faculty he'd somehow managed to assemble. As terrifying of a concept as it could be, he still had to simply… allow both events to wash in all at once, hoping that somehow McKinley would still be standing after.

He had no idea who they would make to shadow him; here again he had no choice… he could only take whatever came at him. In previous years he had found that being paired with him would be received a number of different ways. Some felt suddenly they were 'close to power' and got excited. Others looked terrified, and he imagined spending so much time in the principal's office was playing with their minds… But this year would be a whole other experience.

On Monday morning, Mr. Nussbaum's request was filled. As he'd told the principal, the teacher had received his own share of visits from Sue Sylvester regarding her part in the assignment. So Figgins had offered to 'unite' the pair himself, knowing she would no doubt make another visit on that morning. He'd called in Noah Puckerman, informing him of his pairing. When Sue had then shown up, he'd sent the pair on its merry way and sat back to await his own shadow.

"Principal Figgins," came the familiar voice that usually made him groan internally, having long associated it with 'trouble on the rise.'

"Miss Berry," he looked to the girl who'd just walked in, an open notebook and pen in hand… She was ready… for more than he realized.

Days ago, Rachel hadn't seen the true potential of the assignment. She'd mentioned it to Mr. Schuester, and he'd told her how he'd gotten to find the advantage. As it'd turn out, they had another thing in common: she had also been paired to the principal. The 'advantage' had not taken long to show itself. If she was going to be with Figgins for a week, with little to no outside intrusions, then she had to use this time to show Figgins how important Glee Club was, and how he should support it more than he currently was. She hadn't yet figured out her 'in' just yet, but once she got there, she'd know it, and she'd be ready to give Principal Figgins 'the Glee Experience.'

"Good morning, Sir," she gave him her best 'winning' smile. "I'm ready to shadow you," she nodded. He pointed to a chair, and she quickly took the seat as assigned. He watched her for a moment before getting back to work.

Rachel would observe not only him, but the office. There had to be some personal touch that would give her direction… She just had to find it.

There wasn't a lot to go on, not in any way that could help her, really. Encyclopaedias, glass paper weights, little figures of animals, a school bell… She doubted he'd be amused if she played with that. She spotted some pictures on a cabinet by the window. Before she let herself question the thought too much, she got up from her chair and moved to take a closer look. She looked at one of them and smiled. "Is this your mother?"

"Yes," came the principal's voice. Even with her back turned, she knew he'd been watching her go since she'd gotten up to go at the pictures.

"She's pretty," Rachel smiled.

"She was…" Rachel turned back to him, with eyes that managed to do what she'd hoped they would: get him to open up further. "My father gave me a sense of… the importance of good work," he nodded and, as his mind slipped toward the second half of his sentence, Rachel could see the smallest bit of a relaxation in his face… Yes, now she was nearing her 'in.' But then he snapped out of it, clearing his throat and sitting up straight. Rachel wasn't going to let go, not when she was this close.

"Principal Figgins, I realize this assignment is about my learning from what you do, but I also believe you would benefit from learning from what I do. Not as a student, that is, but as a member of McKinley's Sectional-winning Glee Club. I'm talking about… the Glee Experience. The way I see it, understanding a bit more of who we are would benefit you as the head of this establishment. I assure you this would remain strictly between us. And before you answer, I would like to ask you consider again what it is, even if you wouldn't say, that your mother gave you."

The office was left silent for a moment, save for the sound of Rachel slowly catching her breath. Figgins, for his part, sat dazed like he'd been hit by a tornado. He once again indicated the chair, and Rachel's face fixed into a frown as she obliged him. But then, and he'd debate for quite a while what it was that possessed him to do it, he looked to her and cautiously said, "Alright. Just what exactly is it I'll be doing?" Her face lit up once more.

She didn't get to tell him just yet, as his duties as principal required him to actually work. It was perfect for Rachel though. She sat quietly scribbling in her notebook, not saying one word… Maybe that was part of the benefits of having said yes. Even as he had to attend to certain tasks outside of his office, Rachel trailed behind, still writing. One side of the page would be notes in regards to 'the Glee Experience' while the other kept notes on shadowing the principal. He wasn't sure when the silence would be brought to an end, but he would enjoy it while he could.

The silence was brought to an end the next morning, as he arrived to find his shadow already sitting outside his office, waiting for him. She carried a bag with her, but what drew his attention was the hat on her head – which he had a sneaking suspicion was for him – and the man sitting at her side, carrying a small portable keyboard, Brad the pianist. When she saw the principal, Rachel stood. "Good morning, Sir." He opened the door, motioning for them to get in.

"The wall is made of glass, clear glass," he pointed out to her.

"Once everyone is in class, that shouldn't be a problem, should it?" she asked with an innocent shrug. He frowned, more so when she pulled out some papers from her folder and handed them to him. He had a 'what on earth is this?' look about him, and she carried on. "It's your song. I thought hard about what would be the perfect thing for you." He looked at the sheets. "I've already started on my shadow assignment, and how I've found our principal has a quality about him, to look after the interest of his students with a… personal approach," she nodded. He looked at her, looked at Brad who gave a shrug. There was the review. Maybe that was part of why he'd said yes, too… Either that or Rachel Berry was an excellent manipulator.

"How did you know I like this song?" he asked, as she'd moved to get the bag she'd brought along. She opened it and pulled out neatly folded clothes, which she handed to him, pulling the hat off her head and depositing it on the clothes. He took a look at them and again was left baffled. "How did… the size is right."

"You don't have to put them on yet. Actually, we don't have time, so…" she looked to Brad, who was getting ready. Rachel turned back to the principal with a smile. "Ready?"

With much hesitation on the principal's part, they had begun. Rachel had coached him through the vocals through morning, then attempted footwork in the afternoon. There were interruptions on repeated occasions, as Figgins of course still had his job to do. There was also the issue, as previously pointed out, that the wall was one big window, which left them open to stares and pointed fingers. Rachel tried to keep the principal with his back to the window wall side as much as possible.

Figgins was able to get back to work later, as Rachel would attend to her continuing shadow assignment notes. When she left though, she suggested the next day should involve their number with all parts in place. Vocals, choreography, costume…

When she – and Brad – was gone, Figgins was able to sit back, tired off of his day. He didn't get to think on it much, stuck in the whirlwind that was Hurricane Berry, but it wasn't all as terrible as he would have envisioned. He was not the most polished at singing and dancing, but at the end of the day he had improved and that was… a good feeling. It was all a bit of hectic work, madness, but it did bring a joy to him… glee…

So the next morning as he'd arrived in his office, he looked to the piled costume, still sitting on one of the chairs. He looked around… Maybe he could just put it on now, do the quick run through when Rachel arrived, then change back… yes…

He changed in the faculty bathroom, returning to his office. He pulled out the mirror he kept in his bottom drawer, putting on the hat as he observed…

"What is going on?" he looked back… There was the inspector. Figgins put down the mirror, taking off the hat.

"Welcome to McKinley…" he started, just as Rachel arrived. "Ah, Miss Berry, this is going to have to wait, I'm afraid. This is an inspector; she's come to review the staff…" he nodded politely.

He hadn't anticipated the day he would be thankful for Rachel Berry, but there it was, as she worked the same magic on the inspector as she had on him. She continued speaking to the woman while Figgins went to change back. She put in words for Figgins, and for others as well… even Coach Sylvester… She didn't play the dirty card she could have.

After the inspector had left, the air seemed to have changed in the halls. The faculty was more relaxed, even if they still had to deal with their shadows. In the end, the madness had been good for… most of them.

THE END


End file.
